The Law provides for improving the procedure for assessing the competence of building specialists, determining the criteria for the initial assessment of qualification, as well as using the data of the Register of Building Specialists to supervise the improvement of competence of building specialists.
The Law determines the required education level for architects and civil engineers, in order for a building specialist to be able to obtain the certificate of practice. The right to an independent practice in the field of architecture will be granted to a person who have acquired the second-level vocational higher education in a study programme in architecture.
Certificates are issued to building specialists for an indefinite period of time. The repeated competence assessment of building specialists will be required solely in certain cases, for instanc,e the practice has been discontinued or violations have been established in the activity of a building specialist.
Section 9 of the Transitional Provisions of the Law determines that building specialists who have received a certificate of an architect’s practice or building practice until the day of coming into force of this Law are entitled to continue an independent practice after the expiry of the term of validity indicated in the certificate, if they conform to the requirements of this Law and provide the information to be included in the Register of Building Specialists to the extent, within the time period and according to the procedures stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers.
However, the competence assessment authority will have to make changes in the records regarding specialists, in order to ensure the fulfilment of the aforementioned transitional provision. The procedure, according to which the competence assessment authority will do so, is planned to be included in the regulations on the competence assessment of building specialists and supervision of independent practice.
In order to ensure the quality of construction, a building specialist will have to have acquired at least the first-level vocational higher education in a study programme of a construction engineer as of 1 January 2021. Persons who have acquired the first-level vocational higher education will be able to practice in the field of construction work management and construction supervision, whereas persons who have acquired the second-level vocational higher education will be able to practice in the field of engineering research, design, construction work management and construction supervision, expert-examination of construction.
If on the day of coming into force of such legal norm six years or less have remained until the person reaches the retirement age laid down in law, he or she shall be allowed to continue an independent practice in the fields referred to in this Paragraph until reaching the retirement age.